IT'S NOT in the least surprising that officials have been sent to Jose Mourinho's house to check on his dog.

The amount of power these people have is frightening.

Did you know that if you buy a dog an animal welfare officer has the right to check if your house is fit enough for an animal to live there. If it isn't they take the dog away - and leave YOU there.

Far more surprising is the news that Jose's dog is a Yorkshire terrier (pictured) and not a foreign import.

Mourinho's pooch now appears to be on the loose and that can hardly come as a shock to the Chelsea gaffer. After all, if it was going to leave, it was always going to go in the summer or during the January transfer window.

Mourinho has taken immediate action by placing an advert in the local newspaper, saying: "Here boy!"

Mourinho is reported to be more annoyed by the way the officials treated him than by losing his dog. One policeman kept calling him "Chum" and when the Chelsea boss admonished him by saying he was a person and not a can of dog food, the officer to his credit immediately apologised by saying: "Sorry, Pal."

Bookies fear that Mourinho could be hounded out of Chelsea because of his current canine problems. Leaving no pun left unturned, the comedians at Hills (usually their odds-compilers) have wasted no time in opening a market of dog-related wagers, such as Chelsea at 4-6 to take the lead in the FA Cup Final, Mourinho at 8-1 to blame defeat on his players being dog-tired, and 20-1 for the gaffer to be sent from the dog-out.

Altogether there are 10 of them They asked me if any of them worked - I said no pun in ten did.